What Is Not Impossible?

Many people in our time dismiss the Christmas stories as impossible. It seems unlikely

that a virgin could conceive a child, much less a child from the Holy Spirit for our

scientific minds. Amy Jill Levine says that Luke's writer has a way more important

story to tell than to convince us to believe in a virgin birth. Levine says that Luke's story

is "about divine care and human potential, about how we are all children of God and

can therefore do God's will, about the difficult choices we must make, about our

memories and our goals."

So often, we get caught up in asking ourselves how could something be possible?

Instead, we should be asking ourselves, "what is not impossible?"

There are days, I must confess when things seem impossible – too much isolation, too

much technology, too much bad news, too little family, too little time with friends, and

too much danger.

And then, I remember what Jesus says – all things are possible with God.

Those words touch something profound in each of us; a deep knowing that those words

are true and trustworthy, and in that knowing, there is a deep peace and joy.

Perhaps our "what is not impossible" might be:

• How can we help in our community even though we are separated?

• How can we find community with one another?

• How can we get the Good News out to people who cannot come to church?

I ask each of you, no matter who you are or where you are, to remember that it is not

impossible that God will call you to help imagine God's kin-dom on earth. We need

those imaginings in this time. It is a very different world, but it is still God's world, and

we are still God's people called to spread the Gospel news – even though it is in very

different ways.

With Mary and Joseph, we can choose to do God's will, see the potential, not the

impossible, and honor both our memories and our goals.

Pastor Sue